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FY2023 Appropriations Wins

Every year, Congress works on appropriations legislation to fund each federal department. Since the Caucus's founding, Black Maternal Health Caucus members have been actively engaged and committed to ensuring that BMHC priorities are included in these bills. Furthermore, Co-Chair Underwood serves on the House Committee on Appropriations and leads on-committee work to secure maternal health priorities.

The Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations omnibus included over $100 million in NEW maternal health funding secured by the Black Maternal Health caucus for Momnibus and maternal health priorities. Key maternal health provisions in this package, which was signed into law by President Biden in December 2022, include:

  • Language directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to “implement and fully resource the Protecting Moms Who Served Act (P.L. 117-69)”
    • This provision will fully fund the Protecting Moms Who Served Act from the Momnibus.
  • $43.4 million, an increase of $13.4 million above the FY22 enacted level, for the National Institute of Health (NIH) Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative
    • The Black Maternal Health Caucus (BMHC) has championed IMPROVE since its establishment in 2019. The FY23 funds will allow NIH to expand research on the leading causes of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities, and identify clinical and non-clinical interventions that will save lives and promote maternal health equity.
  • $10 million, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to establish a research network that is comprised of and supports minority-serving institutions to study maternal health disparities
    • This provision is based on the Data to Save Moms Act in the Momnibus.
  • $7 million, through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for awards to community-based organizations located in geographic areas with high rates of adverse maternal health outcomes – particularly among people from racial and ethnic minority groups – to achieve maternal health equity.
    • This funding, through the HHS Office of Minority Health, is based on funding for community-based organizations included in the Kira Johnson Act in the Momnibus.
  • $3 million, an increase of $1.5 million above the FY22 enacted level, through NIH to support research on the effects of COVID-19 on pregnancy, lactation, and postpartum health with a focus on individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups
    • This provision is based on the Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act in the Momnibus.
  • $23 million, an increase of $10 million above the FY22 enacted level, for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers & Babies program (SET-NET), which detects the effects of new health threats like COVID-19 on pregnant people and their babies by collecting key data
    • This provision is based on the Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act in the Momnibus.
  • $108 million, an increase of $25 million above the FY22 enacted level, for Safe Motherhood/Infant Health Programs at CDC, which include Maternal Mortality Review Committees and Perinatal Quality Collaboratives
    • Through this increased funding requested by the BMHC, states will be able to identify the specific drivers of each maternal death in the state and then implement and expand evidence-based programs at hospitals and other birthing facilities to address the causes of adverse maternal health outcomes.
  • $823 million, an increase of $87 million above the FY22 enacted level, through HRSA for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant
    • This flexible funding stream requested by the BMHC allows states to meet local maternal and child health needs, providing services to an estimated 60 million Americans every year.
  • $2 million, an increase of $1 million above the FY22 enacted level, for the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Promotion of Optimal Birth Outcomes through HHS Office of the Secretary – Office of Women’s Health
    • This funding requested by BMHC will be used by the Committee to oversee the implementation of HHS’s Plan to Improve Maternal Health in America.
  • $5 million, an increase of $4 million above the FY22 enacted level, through HRSA for Maternity Care Target Areas (MCTAs)
    • This funding requested by the BMHC supports efforts through the National Health Service Corps to identify areas experiencing a shortage of maternity care providers and expand the maternal health workforce in these underserved areas.
  • $13 million for midwifery education and training grants through HRSA
    • $5 million requested by the BMHC for the education of midwives through the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program.
    • $8 million requested by the BMHC to grow and diversify the certified nurse-midwife workforce by awarding scholarships to students and registered nurses to cover the total cost of tuition for the duration of a nurse midwifery program, with a particular focus on growing the pipeline of practitioners working in rural and underserved communities.
  • $7 million, an increase of $3 million above the FY22 enacted level, for the Maternal Mental Health Hotline through HRSA
    • The hotline, a BMHC priority, provides 24/7, free, confidential support before, during, and after pregnancy, including phone or text access to professional counselors, real-time support and information, and services in both English and Spanish.
  • $55 million, an increase of $26 million above the FY22 enacted level, for State Maternal Health Innovation Grants through HRSA
    • This funding requested by the BMHC allows states to collaborate with maternal health stakeholders to most effectively use resources dedicated to addressing maternal health disparities and improving outcomes.
  • $15 million through HRSA for Healthy Start grantees to support nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, physician assistants, and other maternal-child advanced practice health professionals within all Healthy Start program sites nationwide
    • The Healthy Start program improves maternal and infant health outcomes and reduces disparities by providing health care and social services, public health programs, and trainings for health care professionals, supported by funding requested by the BMHC.
  • $15.3 million, an increase of $3.3 million above the FY22 enacted level, through HRSA for the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) program
    • Supported by funding requested by the BMHC, AIM program is a data-driven maternal safety and quality improvement initiative, allowing hospitals and other birth facilities to adopt and implement evidence-based patient safety bundles to address common pregnancy-related complications like obstetric hemorrhage, severe hypertension, cardiac conditions, and other conditions.
  • $10 million for a Pregnancy Medical Home Demonstration Project through HRSA
    • This initiative, with funding requested by the BMHC, will incentivize maternal health care professionals to provide integrated health care services to pregnant people and new mothers.
  • $8 million, an increase of $2 million above the FY22 enacted level, through HRSA for the Rural Maternity and Obstetric Management Strategies (RMOMS) program
    • The RMOMS program funds critical initiatives to expand access to maternal care and obstetric services in rural communities, supported by funding requested by the BMHC.
  • $38.931 million, an increase of $4 million above the FY22 enacted level, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for substance use disorder treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum individuals
    • This funding requested by the BMHC addresses one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in states across the country.
  • $10 million, an increase of $3.5 million above the FY22 enacted level, through HRSA for Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression and Related Disorders
    • Using funding requested by the BMHC, this program will expand access to community-based treatment and recovery support services for pregnant people and new mothers with maternal mental and behavioral health conditions.
  • $200,000 to establish an Advisory Committee to monitor and report on the implementation of the recommendations from the Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women (PRGLAC) through the HHS Office of the Secretary
    • This funding will advance efforts to promote the safe inclusion of pregnant and lactating individuals in clinical trials for vaccines and therapeutics, a priority supported by the BMHC.
  • Authorizing language
    • The omnibus will make permanent the American Rescue Plan provision that gives states the option to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year, a priority supported by the Black Maternal Health Caucus.
    • The omnibus includes the Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Act of 2022, led by Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, that reauthorizes and expands maternal mental health screening and treatment grants